Death Through the Ages: A Brief Overview - Ancient Times, The Classical Age, The Middle Ages, The Renaissance, The Eighteenth Century

Strange, is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us of the road, Which to discover we must travel too.

Omar Khayyám

Death is the inevitable conclusion of life, a universal destiny that all living creatures share. Although all societies throughout history have realized that death is the certain fate of human beings, different cultures have responded to it in different ways. Through the ages, attitudes toward death and dying have changed and continue to change, shaped by religious, intellectual, and philosophical beliefs and conceptions. In modern times, advances in medical science and technology continue to influence ideas about death and dying.